May 15th Mother's Day
We got home from church and our clothes changed so we were ready to talk to Cam. I had bought pizza to cook the day before so I knew I wouldn't have to worry about feeding anyone. We cooked the pizza and cut up watermelon(this all came in handy during our day). Jason and Halle went to go take care of the pigs and baby calves before visit. I told Annie we needed to watch our e-mails because last time he e-mailed both of us to see if we were ready. I no longer had got done saying that and Annie hollered, "mom. he is trying to skype us". It took a little bit and a few technical difficulties on Cameron's end but we got it working just fine. Both sets of Cameron's grandparents and my sister and her family came. My sister and her family chatted, gave their love and left. Then the grandparents did for a bit and my parents left. Jason's parents stayed and then the Earnest twins and Nicole came. We all talked for a good amount of time. We let Nicole and the Earnests do more, knowing we would have Cameron for awhile. He made it clear that he had awhile and really didn't want people leaving. What love to take the time out to give to him that day. I as a mom really appreciate it. Marge and Leon left after a bit and Nicole and the Earnests chatted a bit longer. After Nicole left the Earnests did and then we just had our little Jensen family. It felt so good to be in the living room having small talk (maybe not so small)once again.
It was so nice to see my son's face and hear his voice. He is very honest when he says he likes it there but it is very hard, he misses home, and he will be ready to be home. I can tell his homesickness is better and know that he is going to serve his mission but he probably will be anxious to return home the whole time. Maybe I am wrong and I wouldn't mind if I were. He is almost to 9 months and just in the last 3 months his attitude has completely changed for the better. I still think there is room for improvement but I can't even pretend to think how hard this must be. I admire him for seeing this through. We had his friends Cameron and Jackson Earnest here and they will be leaving in the next few months on missions. I asked him what advice he could give them and he said it is very hard but to hang in there because it gets better. I know Cameron will receive blessings from his service and I know his family will too.
Cameron told us how most of his investigators need to be married before they can do any baptizing. He said it was just too expensive for them and that is why they aren't married. He is teaching Valmir and his girlfriend of 5 years and he has become very close to them. He said they are at church every Sunday and even asked if they could pay tithing before they were baptized. He shared how he knew they wanted and needed the gospel in their lives. He asked if he could pay for them to get married. I asked how much, thinking wow it must be a whole lot of money. He said it was about seventy U.S. dollars. That kinda of made me giggle inside because before his mission he wouldn't have thought that was a lot of money. I told him to follow his heart and if he wanted and felt like he should do this to do it.
Elder Jensen told us that talking to us in English was one of the hardest things he has ever done. Every once in awhile he would say a word in Portuguese. He sounded great! He told us how a few years ago there was a guy the missionaries would always find drunk and they got him to listen to the discussions. He quit his bad habits and now he is the 2nd counselor in the bishopric. He knows of all the people they are teaching and the people they find on the streets always know him. They say how they need to change their life like he did.
Cameron told us about going into a city that was really rich. The mission leader went with him because he had served there. He knew some members that he got in touch with. They went there to eat and they had a maid that prepared and served the food. He said it was a whole different world there. The area he lives in now they hardly get meals provided. When the Stake President found out he got up in sacrament and got really mad and told everyone that they need to feed the missionaries. Cameron said he was embarrassed and looked around to see what investigators were there and listening. When the meeting was over there was a lady signing up that Cameron knew. He felt bad and told her she didn't need to and she told him she really did want to and how the Stake President was right and that she felt blessings when she did this.
My handsome son shared with us how they had gone to a home to teach this guy, that loves for them to come and he loves to hear the gospel, but will not give up his bad habits to go any further. He excused himself for a minute and pretty soon they could smell marijuana. He had gone out back and got high. When he came back in he went on and on about how much he loved the elders, the church, god, etc. Cameron said it was pretty funny and at the same time very sad.
Cameron told us how he had recently went back to Maceio and every time he goes there, he goes to see Karla and her little boys. She always feeds them. Her brother was there when they got there and he took them to the salon to surprise her. Her boys love Cameron so much and they have made a place in his heart, that is for sure. Cameron is a kid magnet and to have them help him get through that first part of his mission is a true blessing! He said at the mission home the packages were waiting that had been sent awhile ago and some letters. He loves to get candy. I guess the candy in Brazil isn't like the candy in the states...
Elder Perez is Cameron's companion. He is from El Salvador but everyone thinks he look oriental. Nobody knows where El Salvador is and so they do thing that he is an Asian. He finally decided to just tell them he was from Mexico so they would stop questioning and thinking the wrong thing. Cameron said it is pretty funny because they don't mean anything by it and he gets pretty upset by it.
We brought Cameron's lab, Charlie in for him to see. We take for granted some of those things that we have in our everyday life. Another one being the carpet on our floor. He said everything is tile. There is a member in his branch building a house and he had sent pictures of it. I would've thought he as very poor by the look of the house in the pictures. The house had no floor, no framing, and they were just going straight to a type of bricking. Cameron assured me that he wasn't poor and that this is just the way of life for them.
Walking down a sketchy part of town and a scary guy looking right at you holding a knife would make me pee my pants. Cameron said there are parts of town that they sometimes travel that aren't the best place to be and one particular night on his way home he passed through one. There was a guy with a "huge" knife standing there. Cameron said he just kept on walking and gave him the head nod and a "hey". Cameron said he nodded back and that was that. I am sure there are more experiences that I would rather not know about.
Both times now that we have skyped with Cameron, it is evident when he is going to disconnect. the knife that goes in my heart at this point isn't quite like the feeling I have when I see he is trying to skype us. We reassure him of what he is doing is right. Of course he knows but wow, what a hard thing to do. I think being in a different county with a different culture just adds a twist to the already hardness of a mission. For him to speak Portuguese like he does is such a blessing in itself, helping him feel more at ease. Just like last time we skyped we all folded our arms to pray. Jason gave a prayer and it was so nice but also added emotion to all of us. I kissed Cam's face on the screen. We all said our I love yous and it was over... I've looked forward and dreaded this day since the day after Christmas. The fun part seemed so fast and now that knife was being twisted in my heart. I seriously could have hysterically bawedl for hours if I let myself. However, I do all I can to have faith in what Cam has chosen to do. He is giving two years of his life to share the gospel with others. We take for granted what we have and we let the craziness of life be our excuse for not spending time with loved ones, serving, attending church meetings, activities, etc. My handsome son along with many other young men and women love the gospel enough to give of themselves for 2 years. In my mind and heart this is truly getting it. Cameron is struggling but will not give up. He misses everything about home but at the same time he admits that he has changed and grown in ways only a mission could've given him. He has blessed our family and he is already blessing his future family by selflessly giving. Dallin Oaks said, "The most effective missionaries always act out of love". Elder Jensen is no doubt acting out of love. I find comfort in listening and reading the words of our prophets to help me be able to help my son accomplish his goal. Henry B. Eyring shared, "By helping others come unto him, you will find that you have come unto him yourself."
Thank you family and friends for supporting Elder Jensen, his mama, and his family!
